Thread cutter



April 25, 1950 M. COHN THREAD CUTTER Filed April 10, 1947 Fig.3

IN V EN TOR.

Patented Apr. 25, 1950 [TED STATES PATENT OFFICE THREAD CUTTER Application April 10, 1947, Serial No. 740,574

11 Claims. l

This invention relates to thread cutters or similar cutting tools, and particularly to a type of scissor-like tool which is adapted to be conveniently held in the hand and manually operated, for the purpose of cuttin threads or for many other purposes.

In various factories and plants, and particularly those devoted to the manufacture of sewed or stitched goods such as articles of wearing apparel, the threads applied by the sewing machines must be cut off, and for this purpose ordinary scissors are often used. Considerable time is lost by the operator in setting down and picking up the scissors while handling the goods. It is thus desirable to provide a cutting tool of such a construction that it can be retained in the hand of the operator in such a manner that the fingers are sufficiently free to permit handling the goods, while at the same time the hand can retain the thread-cutting tool ready for instant use for cutting threads extending from the goods being handled.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a tool of this character, which can be conveniently used and handled; which will be provided with detachable and replaceable blades so that a sharp tool will be always at the disposal of the operator and which will be of such shape and design that it can be handled in such a manner as to greatly expedite the work of the operator.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a scissor-like tool having a pair of pivoted blades disposed in shearing relationship and normally held open or separated adjacent to their tips or pointed ends by spring means, the tool having a finger loop disposed at the back of one of the blades, and the blades, loop and spring being operatively maintained together by a single fastening means which is removable for replacement of the blades or any of the other parts of the cutting device.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particular description of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown Fig. 1 is a face view of the improved thread cutter; Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite face of the tool; Fig. 3 is an end view, looking at the left side of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a face view of the handle; Fig. 6 is an edge view of the same, looking at 2 the right side of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a face view of the spring; Fig. 8 is an edge view of the spring, looking at the left side of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 shows how the device is held in the hand for operation.

Referring to the drawing, I indicates one of the cutting blades, which is hereby referred to as the stationary blade, and 6 indicates a similar blade, referred to herein as the movable blade. The blades are of scissor-like form, and may for example, be generally similar in shape and construction to the detachable scissor-blades shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,373,607 to Snell. Each of the blades I and 6 is provided at its butt end with an aperture through which a pivot-bolt 5 is passed so that the two blades are thus pivoted together at one end. and are held in shearing relationship in the known manner of a pair of scissors.

The blade I which may be stamped from sheet metal, is provided along its back or rear edge, for the greater portion of its length, with a laterally-bent flange 3, which not only acts to greatly stiffen the blade but also forms an anchorage for a handle 8 in a manner to be described. The cutting edge of the blade is indicated at 2. Blade 6 is similar to the blade I, and it is provided with the back flange 1, similar to the flange 3 on the blade I.

The handle of the tool is indicated at 8, and is shown most clearly in Figs. 5 and 6. It will be there noted that the handle is in the form of a plate provided with a slightly ofiset tongue portion I2 adjacent to which is an aperture or hole I 0 through which the pivot bolt 5 passes. The aperture Ill may be internally threaded to threadably receive the threads on the pivot bolt 5. The handle 8 is provided with a slot I3 which, as shown in Fig. 1, fits about the flange 3 on the blade I, so that when the handle is placed in position against the outer face of the blade I, with the slot I3 engaging about the flange 3, the blade I and the handle are thus held together as a unit, and the handle 8, for all purposes, constitutes a rigid and fixed extension of the blade I.

A finger loop 9 is formed as an integral part of the handle 8, and when the handle is fixed to the blade I as shown in Fig. 1, it is to be noted that the finger loop 9 is located at the back edge of the blade I and forwardly of the pivot 5 which connects the blades I and 6.

The normal position of the thread cutter is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein it will be noted that the blades I and ii are held in an open or spread condition, particularly near their tips or pointed extremities. The maintenance of the blades in this open position is attained by means of a spring shown at Hi. The spring includes a plate or base portion formed with an aperture 22 through which the pivot bolt extends. Near one end of the plate or base portion of the spring is formed another aperture, indicated at [5, which fits arouhda stud ll. projecting laterally from the handle 81 A spacing shoulder 20 may be provided on the stud H to keep the spring it and handle 3 properly spaced. This arrangement is such that when the spring is fitted in place, overlying the outer face of the blade 6, as shown in Fig. 2, and with the pivot bolt 5 extending through the spring and the aperture it fitting about the stud H, the spring will be fixedly maintained in relation to the stationary blade l.

The spring i4 includes a slightly offset wishbone portion [8 having the leg it, formed with a rounded end i7, which bears against the flange 1 formed on the back edge of the blade 6. This resilient leg i5 is so shaped that it normally holds the movable blade 5 in open position, substantial- 1y asshown in Figs. 1 and2. The degree of opening between the blades can, of course, be regulated b the shape and disposition of the sprin leg 16, as will be clearly apparent.

' It will be clear from the foregoing, that the several parts of the device, consistin of th two cutting blades I and 6, the handle 8 and the spring 14, are maintained together in operative relationship by means of the pivot bolt 5, which may be provided-with a nut 21 at one end. By removal of'the nut 21 and withdrawal of the pivot b'o1t5, the cutter may be immediately disassembled, and if the blades are dulled from use, they may be then removed and. new blades immediately replaced. Similarly, if the spring it becomes weakened or broken, or if it is desired to replace the spring with another of a shape allowing a lesser.

opening between'the blades, this can be immediately done by removing the pivot belt. Provided on'the spring Mis a shoulder 19 which constitutes a stop, limiting the opening movement of the movable blade 8 by the contact of the end of thefiangel of said blade against said shoulder l9 as clearly'seen in Fig. 2'.

The manner in which the improved thread cutter is used is clearly seen in Fig. 9. It will be therein observed that the tool is held'in the hand with the fourth finger of the hand extended through the finger loop 9. This at once places the thumb directly over the flange edge I or back of the blade '6" near the tip or pointed extremity of that blade, and the index finger finds its way under the rear edge sci the stationary blade I near'the tip thereof. 'When the tool is held in this manner, depression of the thumb on the blade will bring said blade 6 toward the fixed blade 1 and a shearing action takes place between the blades so that threads located between the blades will be severed. As pressure of the thumb on the bladefi is released, theblade will at once swin to open'positio'n under the impulse of the spring leg l6 which, as heretofore explained, tends to always restore blade 6 to the open position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and '9. It will thus be apparent that snipping or cutting of threads or the like may be very rapidlyperformed. Moreover, since the tool is maintained on the hand by the insertion of the fourth finger through the loop 9, this allows freedom of'thefirst three fingers of the hand, so that "these fingers may be employed for handling goods, while at the same time, the tool remains held across the palm of the hand and maintained thereon by the finger extended through the loop 9. Thus, in the use of the tool, it is not necessary to place it down upon a table or other support between thread-cutting operations, since it may be easily held in the hand while some of the fingers thereof are engaged in other work.

I have herein described the improved cutting tool as intended for cutting threads, but it is obvious that it may have numerous other uses, such as clipping small swatches of cloth, cutting out newspaper clippings, coupon-cutting and many other functions in which it will be found convenient and practical. When the blades are dulled, they may be replaced by simply removing the pivot-bolt and putting a new pair of blades in place. The spring or handle or either of them is instantly replaceable simply by the employment of a screwdriver or coin to remove and replace the pivot bolt.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described. it Will be. obvious that var ou changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the spring I l may be. a Wire sprin he pivo bolt 5 may be any of the known types employed in scissor construction, and the meansfor uniting the handle and spring, or the manner of coupling the handle 8, with the stationary blade i may be varied in several ways. all of whicharecontemplated as being with n the scope of the invention and the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. A thread cutter comprising, a pair of blades disposed in shearing relation and pivotally connected at one end, a finger loop attached to the first of the blades and having a portion extending beyond the, end-oi said blade, said projecting portion of the finger loop having a laterally-ex,- tending stud, a spring in engagement with said stud, a pivot pin engaging the spring and uniting the bladesin pivotal relation, and the spring having a leg operative against thev second blade to normallyv hold the bladesseparated attheir endsremote from the pivot.

2. A thread cutter comprising a pair of blades disposed in shearing relation, at least one of the bladeshaving a flange extending along its. back edge, apivot pin extending through the blades near .oneend and holdingthe blades together in pivotal. relation, a handle engaged by the pivot, said handle being provided with a finger loop and with a slot in which the flange of one of the blades is located to thereby maintain the blade and handle together as a 'unit, a. wish-bone type of spring maintained by the handle and blade, said spring having a leg operative against the second blade tothereby maintain the blades separated adjacent to their tips.

3. In a thread-cutting device, a pair of scissorlike blades disposed i-n-shearing relationship, the blades being p-ivotally connected at one end by a pivot pin, a handle attached to the first one of the blades, said handle being provided with a finger loop extending forwardly of the pivot pin andlocated along theback'of oneo-f the blades, said handle having a rearwardly extending part projecting backwardly beyond the end of the blades whereat the pivot is located, said rearwardly extended part of the handle having a projection, a spring fitted around said projection and *engaged by the pivot pin whereby said spring is ffixedly' connected to the handle and to the blade engaged by said handle, said spring having a leg operative against the-second bladeto thereby urge said second blade away from the first blade to a limited extent, and to thus normally hold the blades separated adjacent to their tips.

4. In a thread-cutting device, a pair of scissorlike blades disposed in shearing relationship, the blades being pivotally connected adjacent to one end by a pivot pin, a handle attached to one of the blades, said handle being provided with a finger loop extending forwardly of the pivot pin and located along the back of the blade to which it is attached, said handle having a rearwardly extending part projecting beyond the end of the blades whereat the pivot is located, said extended part of the handle having a projection in the form of a laterally extending stud, a spring having an aperture removably fitted around said stud and engaged by the pivot pin, whereby said spring is fixedly connected to the handle and the blade engaged by the handle, said spring having a leg operative against the second blade to thereby urge said second blade away from the first blade to a limited extent and to thus normally hold the blades separated adjacent to their tips.

5. In a thread-cutting device, a pair of scissor blades pivotally connected together in shearing relationship, a handle overlying the outer face of the first of said blades, said handle being slotted to engage a part of said blade and maintain it in fixed relation to said blade, a leaf spring overlying the outer face of the second blade, a pivot pin extending through the two blades and through the handle and spring, the spring having a base portion through which the pivot pin extends and also having an integral leg portion operative against the second blade to thereby maintain the blades separated adjacent to their tips, and means for uniting the spring and the handle, whereby said spring, handle and the first blade are fixedly maintained together as a unit.

6. In a thread-cutting device as provided for in claim 5, wherein the means for uniting the handle and spring consists of a stud provided on the handle, the spring having an aperture fitted about said stud.

7. In a thread-cutting device, a pair of scisso? blades disposed in shearing relation, a pivot pin extending through the blades and pivotally uniting the same, a handle disposed against the outer face of the first of the blades and having a part extending rearwardly beyond the end of said blade, said handle having a slot, the blade having a flange along its rear edge fitting said slot, the handle having a loop disposed along said flange and located forwardly of the pivotal point of the blades, the pivot pin extending through the handle, a plate spring disposed over the outer face of the second blade to thereby hold the blades in open position, said spring including a rearwardly extended portion projecting beyond the rear ends of the blades, and means for uniting the rearwardly-extended part of the spring and the rearwardly-extended part of the handle.

8. In a thread-cutting device, a pair of blades pivotally connected in shearing relation, each blade having a laterally-projecting flange along its rear edge, a handle fitted on the first of said blades and slotted to engage the flange thereof, a spring fitted against the outer face of the sec 0nd of the blades and having a leg operative against the edge flange thereof, and means for coupling together the spring and handle and the first of the blades whereby the same are held together as a unit and the second blade is pivotal relative thereto and against the pressure of the leg of the spring operative against it.

9. In a thread-cutting device, a fixed blade having a rear-edge flange, a handle attached to the blade, said handle having a slot embracing a part of the rear flange of the blade, a movable blade pivotally attached to the fixed blade, a fixed spring attached to the handle, a pivot pin extending through the two blades and through the handle and spring, the spring having a resilient leg portion engaging a part of the movable blade and urging the same to open position.

10. In a thread-cutting device as provided for in claim 9, wherein the movable blade has a flange at its rear edge, the spring is provided with a shoulder acting as a stop against one end of said flange to limit the opening movement of the movable blade.

11. In a thread-cutting device, a pair of scissorlike blades disposed in shearing relationship, the blades being pivotally connected at one end by a pivot pin, a handle overlying a part of the outer face of the first of said blades and attached to the same, said handle being provided with a finger loop extending forwardly of the pivoted end of the blade to which said handle is attached, said handle including a part extending rear- Wardly beyond the end of the blades whereat the pivot is located, the pivot pin passing through said rearwardly extended part, said rearwardly extended part of the handle having a lateral projection, a plate located over a part of the outer face of the second blade and engaging said projection and also engaged by the pivot pin whereby said plate is fixedly coupled to the handle, and spring means operative between said plate and the bla e which said plate overlies, to thereby urge said blade away from its companion blade to a limited extent.

MAURICE L. COHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 630,537 Heimerdinger Aug. 8, 1899 1,186,235 Schrade June 6, 1916 1,299,104 Arnold Apr. 1, 1919 1,662,772 Wilkes et a1. Mar. 13, 1928 

